Seize the Day
by fruitloops was taken
Summary: COMPLETE! muahaha its over, but not really, you just have to wait for the sequal. SpotOC please r
1. Chapter 1

**Seize the Day**

15-year old Ashlyn Roberts held her little brothers hand tightly in hers as they approached the brown-haired newsie that was shouting headlines on the corner. "Excuse me," she said as he paused to take a breath, "I was wondering how my brother could become a newsie."

The tall young man took a look at Daniel, "Well, first off, how old are ya an' wha's ya name, kid?"

Ashlyn could feel her brothers grip on her hand clench but his voice was surprisingly steady when he answered, "I'm Daniel Roberts and I'm 9 years old."

"Well Daniel, I'm Jack Kelly, but ya can call me Cowboy an' wha' might be ya name miss?"

"I'm Ashlyn Roberts."

"Well Miss Roberts yer brudda can stay at the 'Hattan News Boy's Lodgin' House with me an da rest of my boys, I can show ya where it is, its not fa' from heah"

"We'd certainly appreciate that Mr. Kelly-"

"Jack or Cowboy miss, I ain't no mista"

"Very well Jack and if I'm entrusting my brother to you then we might as well be on first name terms, Ashlyn or Ash, which ever you prefer"

Ashlyn and Daniel stayed with Jack while he sold the rest of his papers, she noticed that every once and awhile he would change the headline to something even more extravagant and unbelievable. 'I wonder if he does that all the time?' When he was done he walked them to the Lodging House, there he had Daniel sign in saying that he would come up with a newsie name for him later. Afterward they stood on the steps of the building, Ashlyn gave Daniel a hug and handed him the bundle she had been carrying all day, "I packed some of your extra clothes and such, if you need anything you know where I am right?"

"Yes Ash."

"Ok, just making sure," she turned to Jack who had quietly turned around and was regarding a nearby building, she was rather grateful, even though Daniel was being brave she was having a harder time controlling her tears, "Jack, if anything happens to Daniel would you please get word to me? I work at Madame Lenoire's dress shop over on Haven Street and I live above the shop so I should be there most of the time if I'm not running errands."

"O' course I will Ash, an' don worry he'll be jus fine"

They shook hands and she gave Daniel one more hug before hurrying back to the shop.

Ashlyn tossed and turned all night worrying about Daniel. They had already lost so much it would kill her to lose him too. The sun finally rose over the city and Ashlyn hurriedly got dressed and went downstairs, she grabbed a bite to eat then began working on her dress orders almost feverishly so that she could be done by noon. It seemed like she would never be finished but when she finally sat back and looked over her work the clock read 11:45. She worked quickly for another 15 minutes before she went to find Madame Lenoire so she could take her lunch break. She snatched her hat and shawl up off their hooks and hurried out of the shop heading towards the corner where she and Daniel had met Jack yesterday but when she got there nobody was selling papers. Dejected she wandered around until she spotted what looked like newsboys entering a little restaurant called Tibby's. Bolstering her courage she walked towards the door when suddenly she heard her name being called and she turned around. There was Daniel running towards her clutching a stack of newspapers, Jack sauntered at a more leisurely pace behind him. She caught Daniel up in a fierce hug and gave him a good looking over, there were ink smudges on his hands and clothes but that was too be expected, other than that he looked very excited and still somewhat overwhelmed.

"Guess how many papes I've sold already Ash, guess! Guess!"

"Ummm, how about 10?"

"No way! More"

"20?"

"More!"

"30?"

"NO! 50!"

"You sold 50 papers all by yourself?"

"Well Cowboy helped me with the last 10...but I sold the rest all by myself!"

"Dat's right yer brudder's a born newsie--course it 'elps that he's so young an' all. Younger sells more papes."

"Wow I'm so proud of you Daniel, how about I treat you and Jack to lunch?"

"Dat's alright Ash, I do fine on my own tanks."

"No I insist, its the least I can do since you're helping my brother out."

"Well since ya put it dat way I guess it'd be rude o' me not ta 'ccept"

"Exactly! Now let's get inside and you can tell us what is good here."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: woohoo I got a review, pathetic I know but thanks to **Sparks Kelly** anyways. Now on to the story...wait the part where I say, "a sight of seasons the sun hadn't yet shone upon" well I kinda stole that from Brian Jacques and I'm not giving it back! ok? So don't sue me I'm broke anyways. Now, on to the story...

* * *

Several months later:

"10 cents a hundred!"

"Can you believe dat?"

"Now dey jack up da price!"

"This'll bust me I'm barely makin' a living right now"

"I'll be back sleepin on da streets"

The news of the price hike came to me through my brother's and Jack's downcast faces as I met them for lunch at Tibby's one day. I knew just how hard the raised prices would be on the newsies, times were tough and it looked like they were about to get tougher. All the newsies were congregated at Tibby's discussing what could be done. Jack wanted to start a newsie strike but his newest friend Dave was pointing out the difficulty of getting something like that to work. To effectively end distribution of The World and The Journal would require every newsie in New York to stop selling. Getting some of the boroughs in on the strike wouldn't be too hard but from the sound of it Brooklyn would be a tough sell, the leader of the Brooklyn newsies was a kid named Spot Conlon. He ruled Brooklyn with an iron fist and it would take a lot of convincing from Jack and Dave to get him to stop his boys from making money.

"If we gets Brooklyn wid us we'll have it," Jack stated calmly, "none a da udders won't stand against Spot, he's too tough fer dem"

Jack and Dave made plans to visit this Spot Conlon the next day, and they were taking Boots with them. I eventually left the restaurant to go back to work after making sure that Daniel had enough money to pay rent and eat. The whole rest of the day as I sat inside sewing I thought about what Jack said, nobody would stand against them is they got Brooklyn they were unstoppable. I realized how hard it was for the boys to do this, most of them lived day to day, stealing food when the headlines were bad and they couldn't sell. This strike would be long and hard but it was to right a wrong that they had to overcome.

_Wrongs will be righted...if we're united..._

The whole day I had that phrase running through my head. Before mom and dad died I sang a lot. I just made songs up off the top of my head and Mom use to say that my singing was a sight of seasons the sun hadn't yet shone upon. I still wasn't totally sure what she meant by that but I knew that the words running around in my head would eventually come together into a song. When I went to bed that night I still hadn't finished it but I figured that by tomorrow I'd have most of it set in my head.

_Open the gates and seize the day   
Don't be afraid and don't delay   
Nothing can break us   
No one can make us   
Give our rights away   
Arise and seize the day _

_   
Now is the time to seize the day   
Send out the call and join the fray   
Wrongs will be righted   
If we're united   
Let us seize the day _

_Friends of the friendless, seize the day   
Raise up the torch and light the way   
Proud and defiant   
We'll slay the giant   
Let us seize the day _

_Neighbor to neighbor   
Father to son   
One for all and all for one _

_Open the gates and seize the day   
Don't be afraid and don't delay   
Nothing can break us   
No one can make us   
Give our rights away _

_Neighbor to neighbor   
Father to son   
One for all and all for one _

By the time I took my lunch break the next day the song was firmly in my head, the next question was who do I tell it too? I wasn't sure if any of the guys could sing, I knew Race played the harmonica but other than that I wasn't sure how musically talented any of them were.

As it turned out getting the newsies interested in her song was a lot easier than she had originally anticipated. All Ashlyn had to do was mention the fact that she was thinking of a strike song for them to Daniel who promptly spread the word all over everywhere. 'Newsies are worse than a group of uptown girls when it comes to gossip,' she reflected. The first people she sang it to--besides Daniel--were Jack and Dave. They had been somewhat unsuccessful in recruiting Spot Conlon and Brooklyn to join their cause and they both thought a song was a great way to get the boys motivated again. At first she thought that she would only have to teach the song to Dave and a couple others but all the newsies wanted to learn so she took the best singers of the group and taught them and they in turn taught the rest. In all it was a success and the boys drew a crowd one afternoon while they sang in the square during lunch.

She watched them for awhile then started to return home, it was a Saturday but with the boys holding a picket line in front of the distribution center there wasn't much for her to do. Ashlyn turned around when she heard shouts, the boys had obviously run into the center and were now trapped by a rough looking group of men with chains and clubs. Her thoughts immediately went to Daniel and Les, David's younger brother. Both of them were under 10 and shouldn't be in something like that. Unfortunately the men had shut the gates and there was no way for her to get through. Brian Denton, a reporter for the Sun who was covering the strike news had also been locked out and was now angrily questioning a cop, "Aren't you going to stop them sir?" But was met with, "Just move along mister."

So it was all set up before hand, somehow she wasn't surprised, all she could do was pray that everyone would come out alright. Crutchy had already been hauled off to the Refuge and several of the boys had gotten soaked. She watched the fight helplessly from the gate when suddenly cries of "Brooklyn!" "Its Brooklyn!" filled the air. Turning Ashlyn saw young men armed with sling shots pop up from hiding places on the surrounding roofs. One in particular was also wielding a gold tipped cane. He had dirty blond hair and blue eyes and a smirk plastered on his handsome face, "Neva feah, Brooklyn is heah." So that was Spot Conlon--most famous and respected newsie in New York.

After Brooklyn arrived the fight was short, Spot opened the distribution center gates himself and led in more of his boys, but not before giving Ashlyn and wink and a smirk.

The fight at the center made the front page of The Sun the next day.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey sorry this took so long, college apps are killing me right now, but anywho thanks a bundle to **Sparks Kelly** my sole reviewer (that is sooo sad) anywho. One more chapter, then on to the next book in the series. I promise there will be more in-depthness to the characters. Anywho, on the story...

* * *

Everyone was sitting in Tibby's when Denton brought in the paper. After a celebratory round of drinks everyone began planning the big Newsie Rally that Jack had suggested. Because the Sun was the only paper printing any strike news the boys realized that they had to do something so big that the other papers would feel stupid not covering them. I was in a booth with Jack, Dave and Spot discussing the rally, all the boroughs would be invited and they planned on asking Medda if they could use Irving Hall. The boys eventually drifted out, Jack and Dave were deep in conversation, which left me with the Brooklyn newsie. We hadn't really gotten a chance to talk much, I knew that Spot was rather surprised I was so involved in the strike, and even more impressed when he heard the song I wrote.

"So yer brudda is that little kid dat hangs 'round Jack huh?"

"Yes, Daniel idolizes Jack, he was the one that took him under his wing when he first started out."

"Yeah Jacky-boy allus did have a soft spot fer da younger kids. Even when it was us on the bottom he allus helped them out."

"I have a hard time picturing you and Jack on the bottom of the pile Spot."

"I know 'mazin' ain't it?" he smirked, "we was little once too tho, had ta fight ahr way ta da top but we knew we'd make it in da end."

"That must have been difficult growing up like that, I don't know what I would have done if Jack hadn't taken Daniel in, I'm so afraid something will happen to me and he'll be alone."

'Da newsies take care a' der own, don't ya worry 'bout dat"

'I think I'll probably always worry, he's all I have left"

"Well if he don't take ova fer Jack den he can 'ave my place when da toime comes fer me ta step down. Brooklyn's a little different den he's use to but da kids got brains, 'e'll know what ta do."

"Yes he does have brains, which is why I'm trying to save up enough money to send him to school, but from the looks of it he'll be selling papers and I'll be sewing dresses for a long time."

"Well from wat I seen ya both are smart kids, ya'll make it outta heah, both o' ya."

"I hope so Spot, I really do."

The period of time after the rally was full of bad news for the strike, the rally had been broken up and while Ashlyn, Sara (David's sister), Daniel and Les all managed to escape the boys were all arrested. 'If it wasn't for Denton they would still be in the Refuge' Ashlyn thought to herself. Then they got the notice from Denton that he had been reassigned. 'There goes our number one ally'. After word of Denton's move came the biggest and worse shock happened. Everyone had been standing on the picket line when suddenly Jack appeared dressed as a scab. It was a good thing that the police were there, Ashlyn could barely restrain Spot from soaking Jack right there and the other boys were equally as angry. 'Old man Pulitzer really knows how to break down the enemy's morale'. Jack's defection was one of the biggest blows to their cause yet. At the same time it also helped pull the remaining newsies even closer together.

One Saturday morning Ashlyn, Spot, Dave, Les and Daniel were all sitting in Central Park. Les and Daniel were running around mock-fighting and doing all the things young boys do while the older three sat and discussed the strike.

"Ash we can't keep dis up much longa, ma boys need ta eat."

"I know Spot and I'm trying to think of a way to get everyone--all the kids in the city--together. I just don't know how."

Eventually they tired of talking about the strike and Dave went to check on the younger boys leaving Ashlyn and Spot alone. They sat in silence for a few minutes each with their own thoughts before Ashlyn turned and found Spot regarding her quite closely. The minute he saw her turn he looked away but she caught the look and the blush, making her own cheeks darken. Trying to ease the tension she thought about for another topic of conversation, "So Spot what are you planning to do after all this is over?"

"I dunno, really I neva plan too fa' in advance, life's too uncoitan"

"But you've been the leader of Brooklyn for awhile haven't you?"

"Yeah sure but ya neva know wat could 'appen tamarra, besides I might meet some goil an' decide ta become respectable an' all"

"Ha! Somehow I think it would take a lot more than a girl to get you to settle down Spot"

"Ya neva kno, she'd hafta be sumtin' special ta be shoah but stranga' tings have 'appened, besides a boy like me needs a good goil in 'is life"

"Yes well it would take a strong girl to keep up with you and your responsibilities, I hope you find her"

"Mebbe it won't be as 'ard as ya seem ta tink Ash"

"Oh do you have someone in mind for the position?"

"I'm allus on da lookout Ash"


	4. The End!

A/N: Wow, I got reviews! Yes I know I'm pathetic and there are only 7 reviews total but I don't care. I'm sorry this story doesn't have as much romance as I wanted but UC applications are due on Tuesday (yes I'm a Californai girl) so I am trying frantically to write decent personal statements, talk about major writer's block! But as I was saying sorry about the lack of difinitive romance. Honestly please bear with me, once my college applications are at least somewhat done I promise I will start on the next story in what I hope will be a three part series. Anywho, UC's are due Tuesday and then the rest of my apps aren't due until January so keep an eye out for my next fic--**_Once and For All_**. That part of the series will contain more in-depth characters and fleshing out of the storyline, not to mention more snogging sessions. Ok, I've definitely been reading too many Harry Potter fics. Thank you to: **Sparks Kelly**, you were my first (and for awhile only reviewer) thanks so much! **Irish-Lass08**, yeah I understand your dislike of people writing in accents, personally I don't like doing it because I'm just plain bad at them. I can hear the way I think a character sounds but can never get it across in my writing, I hope you enjoyed the story at least. **ducks-go-quack-00**, yeah Spot does seem real sweet, which may be slightly OOC but its my fic and I want him sweet so muahaha, author's privilege :) **ChocolatesKelly**, thanks for the review it means a lot.**"someone who had alot of spare time"**, yeah I have too much spare time, well not really (UC's ahhh!) but thanks for reading my fic.

Well on to the story...

* * *

It took him awhile but luckily for us--and for him--Jack finally came to his senses after the Delancy brothers attacked Sara in an alleyway one morning. We decided to got to Denton for one last favor. Jack wanted to get the word out to all the sweatshop kids in New York but Pulitzer had ordered a printing ban on all strike news so we knew that we would need Denton's help to print our own. The basement that Jack had been living in contained an old platen press which we used to print out one of Denton's articles on the atrocities that street kids were facing, it also called for all the working kids of New York to stand together and fight. It was a long night and a lot of work but we got it finished and by morning the newsies were out all over the city passing out fliers. Denton even brought one to Teddy Roosevelt himself, and he pledged to do something to help. 

All we could do was wait and see who responded to the call. Everyone knew that for this to work it couldn't just be newsies, the war we had started with Pulitzer had turned into something bigger than we ever thought possible. I think Denton summed it up the best when he said, "Sometimes all it takes is a voice, one voice that becomes a hundred, and then a thousand, unless it's silenced." Once and for all we were determined not to be silenced, if this didn't work then we had done our best and fought our hardest. At least we had tried to stand up for each other.

We had asked for everyone to meet in the sqare in front of Pulitzer's office but at first it seemed like no one was coming. I looked around, not even Spot and the rest of Brooklyn were there. Then all of a sudden there was a rumbling sound, we looked down the street and realized that it was filled with kids. They were coming from all over the city carrying the paper we had put out. The square and surrounding areas were filled with people, it was far more than even I expected. I looked around some more but I still couldn't see Spot--sometimes I really hate being short. I stood with my brother and the rest of the Manhattan newsies as Jack and Dave disappeared inside for awhile to have a chat with Pulitzer as we all waited tensely outside. Spot finally materialized on my right holding his cane in his hand like he was ready to hit someone and even he looked edgy, his usual smirk was nowhere to be seen.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the gate waiting for the two boys to come out. I could feel Spot's hand grip mine but didn't really realize what was happening. Then after a long, long time Jack came out and announced what we all wanted to hear, "We beat 'em!" I jumped up and down for a minute before turning to Spot to give him a hug, I got a kiss instead--not that I minded--and neither of us registered what was going on around us for a long moment. I could feel his arms around my waist and was surprised at the hard muscles of his chest. He wasn't a big guy but I guess you had to be tough to be the leader of Brooklyn.

Eventually we separated, I gave Daniel a big hug then went to congratulate Jack and Dave.

I couldn't believe that it was all over, I already had a song brewing in my head to commemorate the strike and how in the end it turned out to be an all out war between us and the most powerful men in the city.

But that's all for later.

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Yup thats it for now, thanks people, lots of love. 

Amanda


End file.
